CURRENT & UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Current Exhibition:
Michael Belmore: bzaan-yaa / en silence, immobile / be quiet, be still
January 17 - April 12, 2025
Text by Michael Belmore
Materials have a voice, they speak a language and have a history of conversation that extends well beyond our fleeting human existence. Throughout my practice I have attempted to enter into this exchange, offering my voice to speak about the past and the future, about our connection to this land and its ever-changing reality. Seemingly small things, simple things, inspire my work; the swing of a hammer, the warmth of a fire, the persistence of waves on a shore. Through the insinuation of these actions, a much larger consequence is inferred.
Fire offers warmth, provides comfort, and creates community. It is an extension of the setting sun, pushing back the cool night air. At some point in our lives, most of us have been lost in thought, looking deep into the flickering light emanating from burning embers. This fire-inspired sense of solitude has existed since humankind first transformed kindling to flame.
There is an immediacy to this world, I am looking to slow our conversations. The snow fence while a barrier acts to only limit movement, not prevent it, in this way erecting the fence causes the snow or sand to settle. Similarly, the wood and wire works, slow time by asking the viewer to consider the geometric patterning applied to the wooden surface. For several years my work has revolved around our use of technology and how it has affected our relationship to the environment. The work Bridge combines traditional Anishinaabe beadwork with the digital language of 1’s and 0’s used by computers. The design is the definition of the word “Bridge” (something intended to reconcile or connect two seemingly incompatible things). I often use the Ascii code as a mnemonic device to convey information that directly impacts my reality. At times my work may seem disjointed, yet the reality is that together my work and processes speak about the environment, about land, about water, and well, what it is to be Anishinaabe.
In creating works, I have always endeavored to be fluid and responsive to place. Liminal sites, such as shorelines that mark the threshold between opposing elements of water, and the earth and sky. In the Anishinaabe worldview, the universe is understood to be composed of layers. Divided into contrasting upper and lower worlds and zones of power, this tiered cosmos is animated by the ongoing and reciprocal interaction of beings and persons both natural and spiritual.
I see my work as animate, as having agency and memory. I consider my practice as being a kind of collaboration between human and materials, between human lifetime and geological time, or deep time. I situate my work as mnemonic. My works are vessels offering a narrative and a discourse that gives insight into our community and our collective histories.